Men's Lacrosse advance to CAC Championships

May 03, 2018

Head coach, Brandon Childs

The second-ranked York College men's lacrosse team scored six goals in the second quarter to pull away from Frostburg State University on Tuesday night at Kinsley Field in the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals. Matt Whitcher scored four goals and added an assist, while Thomas Pfeiffer added six points for the second consecutive game to help the Spartans its 13th straight win. The win also served as Brandon Childs' 100th win as head coach of York College.

Game #18

Final Score: #2 York 16, Frostburg St. 8

Records: #2 York 17-1, Frostburg St. 10-9

Shots: York 40, Frostburg St. 32

Shots on Goal: York 27, Frostburg St. 19

Saves: York 11, Frostburg St. 11

Face offs Won: York 16, Frostburg St. 10

Ground Balls: York 41, Frostburg St. 18

Turnovers: York 12, Frostburg St. 11

Caused Turnovers: York 8, Frostburg St. 4

Man Up: York 0-for-1, Frostburg St. 1-for-2

Penalties: York 3-for-2:30, Frostburg St. 1-for-0:30

Clears: York 17-for-19, Frostburg St. 9-for-14

How it Happened:

• Frostburg gained the upper hand early, even after Billy Sasso won the opening faceoff, scoring just 32 seconds into the game. FSU doubled its advantage just under four minutes later, after a pair of Spartan penalties gave the Bobcats a two-man up situation. It didn't take long for the Spartans to cut their deficit in half, however, getting a goal from Hunter Davis just 13 seconds later. Sasso won that faceoff to give York the early chance, a theme that continued throughout the night. It took just 1:04 to level the score, thanks to a Ryan Cook goal, off an assist from Jake Hvazda. To take its first lead of the night, Matt Whitcher and Dillon Hannah used a little two-man game that resulted in an open shot for Hannah, who buried his first of the game. Whitcher doubled the York lead when he used a swim move to loop around a defender and bury a shot in the left corner of the net. Whitcher's goal, his first of a game-high four, concluded a 4-2 first quarter.

• The Spartans really took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Bobcats 6-1, thanks to two goals and two assists from Thomas Pfeiffer, two goals from Whitcher and a goal from Hvazda and Gunnar Reynolds. Pfeiffer scored the opening goal of the quarter, using his patented move sprinting from behind the goal to the front while whipping a shot over his shoulder. That made it 5-2, and then Pfeiffer, from his familiar spot behind the net, quickly fed Hvazda, who calmly placed it in the corner. Those goals came just 52 seconds apart. Less than two minutes later, it was 7-2 when Pfeiffer again came sprinting to the front of the net and fired a shot just under the cross bar. Sasso kept winning faceoffs – he won 11 of the 14 total attempts in the first half – allowing York more possessions, which led to more chances. Whitcher scored to make it 8-3 after shaking three separate defenders before finding just enough space inside the far post for the goal. He would add another one with 1.5 seconds on the clock in the quarter, as his goals sandwiched an absolute rocket from Reynolds.

• Holding a 10-3 halftime lead, York continued to pour it on to begin the second half. Whitcher scored again, the 11th for York of the game, after slinging one to the far post. Davis and Dylan Wolf also notched goals in the third, moving the lead to 10, at 13-3. The Bobcats fought back to end the quarter, though, scoring the final two of the period. FSU eventually scored three of the first four goals of the fourth quarter too, putting together a 5-1 run in that stretch to close within 14-8, but Hvazda and Liam Rattigan capped off an impressive 16-8 home win with goals in the final 7:28, to solidify another trip to the CAC championship game. The win was also Head Coach Brandon Childs' 100th career victory at York.

York is now 9-17 all-time in the CAC tournament … it marked the first meeting with Frostburg St. in the conference playoffs … the Spartans advance to the fourth championship game in program history, all coming since 2014 … it will be York's third consecutive berth in the championship … all three previous trips to the finals resulted in a matchup with Salisbury (1-2) … York is now 8-1 all-time against the Bobcats … York has won four straight in the series, including an 8-6 win on the road earlier this season … the win marked the 100th career victory for Brandon Childs as head coach at York … Thomas Pfeiffer recorded six points for the second consecutive game … that was his eighth game with at least five points … he leads York with 76 points on 45 goals and 31 assists … Matt Whitcherscored four goals, the second-most of the season, behind his five against Nazareth … freshman Jake Hvazda is third on the team in points this year, and added four more on Tuesday night … Landry Marshall's 11 saves is a season-high.

Up Next:

York advances to the Capital Athletic Conference championship game on Saturday. The Spartans will take on No. 2-seeded Salisbury at Kinsley Field. Start time is slated for 6 p.m.

2018-19 CULTURAL SERIES

Each year, York College hosts a series of cultural events that are designed to entertain and enlighten members of bother the campus and regional communities.